Fridge not cold enough

Is your fridge not cold enough? This can be caused my many different problems. Check out the 5 most common problems and their solutions below. They are all relatively cheap and don’t require too much experience with fridge repairs in order to do them. We will give you the problems in increasing order of difficulty.

Why is My Fridge Not Cold Enough?

1. Incorrect temperature in the fridge.

Make sure that the fridge is set to the correct temperature which is between 35-38F. Depending on your particular fridge model, you can either access the controls from the outside or the inside as shown below.

Refrigerator or Freezer Thermostat Temperature Controller

2. Condenser Coils are Dirty.

Clean the condenser coils in the back. If they are dirty, it can not properly cool down and your fridge will not be cold enough.

condenser coil

Photo credit: Juan de Vojníkov - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

3. Evaporator Fan is not working.

If the evaporator fan fails, the refrigerator can not circulate the cold air around. If it fails, you might need to replace it. Check out this handy guide below to find out how to replace your evaporator fan. This is for a Whirlpool refrigerator, but the main ideas are the same for all refrigerator brands.

Check out some of these replacement evaporator fans; however, be careful to find the correct model number for your particular fridge.

Picture

Name

Model #

Price
GE WR60X10141 Refrigerator Evaporator Fan Motor Assembly, 1/8 X 2-1/2 Inch, 115V, 3 watts GE WR60X10141 Refrigerator Evaporator Fan Motor Assembly, 1⁄8 X 2-1⁄2 Inch, 115V, 3 watts WR60X10141 $$$$
Exact Replacement Parts ERW10189703 Evaporator Motor, White Replacement Evaporator Motor for Whirlpool, Sears, Kenmore W10189703 W10189703 $$
Frigidaire 5303918549 Evaporator Motor Kit for Refrigerator Frigidaire 5303918549 Evaporator Motor Kit for Refrigerator 5303918549 $$$

4. Condenser Fan is not working.

If the fan fails, the condenser can not properly cool down. This means that the refrigerator can not effectively take away the hot air from the fridge. If it fails, you might need to replace it. This is also for a Whirlpool refrigerator, but the main ideas are the same for all refrigerator brands.

Check out some of these replacement condenser fans; however, be careful to find the correct model number for your particular fridge.

Picture

Name

Model #

Price
GE WR84X10055 Condenser Fan Motor for Refrigerator GE WR84X10055 Condenser Fan Motor for Refrigerator WR84X10055 $$$
Whirlpool W10124096 Condenser Motor for Refrigerator Whirlpool W10124096 Condenser Motor for Refrigerator W10124096 $$$

5. Thermistor is not working.

If the thermistor fails, the refrigerator can not monitor its temperature. If this happens the fridge might either continue cooling or stop cooling. If it fails, you might need to replace it.

Fridge not cold enough still? Then you should call a repairman to take a closer look.